Warriors coach Andrew Webster defends Johnson call after ‘tough conversation’

Shaun Johnson suffered injury in the Warriors’ loss to the Roosters, with his coach defending the call to keep him on the field.

Shaun Johnson and Andrew Webster. Photos: Getty Images

Andrew Webster has defended the decision to leave a clearly compromised Shaun Johnson on the field after the Warriors halfback suffered a pec injury in Sunday’s 38-18 loss to the Roosters.

The Warriors coach said there was a “tough conversation” with Johnson at halftime after the veteran playmaker pulled up sore after an awkward tackle from Luke Keary.

Johnson battled on for 68 minutes before eventually being pulled from the game, with Webster telling reporters he is not sure if the 33-year-old will be good to play next week against Penrith.

Watch every game of every round this NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >

“I don’t know if he’s good for next week,” Webster said.

“He battled on at halftime, it was a tough conversation. He wanted to go on.

“He said, ‘I want to go and fight here’, and I’m really proud of him, the way he wanted to do that.

“If there was going to be an issue there I would not want him. If it’s going to end up a ruptured pec I would not have him on the field but he’s very sore at the moment. It started hurting him when he was passing the footy.”

Shaun Johnson and Andrew Webster. Photos: Getty Images

It leaves the Warriors short on playmaking options, with Chanel Harris-Tavita no guarantee to return next week from a calf injury.

Webster said Harris-Tavita was a “maybe” for the Panthers game but will “definitely” return the week after.

“Then we’ve got a bye. So hopefully he’s back soon but he might not be,” added Webster.

Elsewhere, the Gold Coast Titans will be sweating on the availability of four players as Kieran Foran and Phillip Sami became the latest NRL players to go down with a hamstring injury.

Foran left the field in the 58th minute on Sunday night, clutching at his hamstring and later told Fox League’s Jake Duke that he “felt a little strain”.

“The NRL’s hamstring curse continues,” Duke said, adding that Foran had ice on his leg and would not return for the rest of the game.

It comes after Sami went off earlier in the game with a hamstring issue while AJ Brimson followed Foran, exiting the game in the 69th minute with a groin issue.

Harley Smith-Shields then followed in the dying stages of the game with what appeared to be a pec injury.

Of course, Foran is not the only player to have picked up a hamstring issue this week.

The Panthers have confirmed that halfback Nathan Cleary is set to miss eight weeks with a grade 2 hamstring tear – essentially ruling him out of the entire State of Origin series.

Cleary suffered the injury in the final minutes of the first half at BlueBet Stadium on Friday night after putting in a grubber.

He signalled to the trainer before walking himself from the field and up the tunnel with two minutes left before the break.

Fox League’s Lara Pitt confirmed that it was the same hamstring Cleary injured in Round 3 and that he would not return to the game.

“Devastating news,” Pitt said.

“We do know it was the hamstring he was returning from.

“He is devastated, he’s iced up and he’s no good.”

Cleary went for scans on Saturday night, which revealed the severity of the injury.

The eight week recovery time frame announced by the Panthers puts Cleary in line to return just around their clash with the Broncos on Friday July 5, before the NRL pauses for the third and final State of Origin clash on July 17 – which means Cleary is all but certain to miss the entire Origin series.

The Panthers then host the Dolphins on July 21.

Originally published as Warriors coach Andrew Webster defends Johnson call after ‘tough conversation’